1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tap and a liquid dispenser, particularly a liquid dispenser having a liquid containing flexible bag received in a case made, for example, of a paperboard, such as a corrugated board, the bag having the tap connected to the opening thereof.
2. Prior Art
Containers for dispensing a desired amount of an alcoholic drink, a liquid condiment or a cooling drink are usually provided with taps. These taps are devised so that liquid in containers is not oxidized during the dispensing thereof. One of the inventors proposed in Australian Patent No. 446, 218 to Fattori a liquid container with a tap, in which container a closed bag is placed within a carton and has the tap attached to its opening, the tap including two valves. Improvements to the Fattori liquid container were provided by the other inventor in Australian Patents Nos. 571,926 and 510,198 to Scholle.
However, the first two liquid containers with taps have a drawback in that the tap of each container is liable to house bacteria around the spout since it always projects outside through the carton. The last one has a structure that the tap is retracted within the carton when it is not used and it is hence kept clean. This tap is however disadvantageous in that it is hard to small size the carton since the retracted tap restricts the minimum depth of the carton.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a tap and a liquid dispenser with the tap which tap effectively prevents bacteria from growing around its spout.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a tap and a liquid dispenser with the tap, which tap may be stored in the carton with a small length as compared to the length of the prior art tap, thereby providing a compact liquid disPenser.